For Immediate Release

Monday, December 17, 2012

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On December 19 at the White House South Court Auditorium, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) along with representatives from seven government agencies and departments will launch the first-ever, whole-of-government strategic guidance on international assistance for children in adversity.

Crafted in coordination with the Departments of Agriculture, Defense, Health and Human Services, Labor, and State, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and Peace Corps—the goal of the U.S. Government Action Plan on Children in Adversity is to achieve a world where all children live and grow up within protective family care and free from deprivation, exploitation, and danger.

Making a clear link between children’s wellbeing and a nation’s social and economic progress, the plan sets a bold new international assistance framework to ensure that more children have what they need most: strong beginnings, family care, and protection from violence, exploitation, abuse, and neglect. By incorporating new science to address the age-old problems of poverty and inequality, the plan emphasizes that the roots of successful adulthood and productive communities are sown in the early years of life.

Rooted in science, this plan moves the United States towards coordinated and multifaceted action that helps ensure children in adversity survive and thrive.